Warwick is a small town dominated by one of England's finest medieval castles. Warwick Castle sits on a sandstone bluff above the River Avon, its towers and ramparts largely intact after more than 900 years. The castle is now run as a commercial attraction and can feel theme-park-ish at peak times, but the building itself is magnificent — the view from Guy's Tower alone justifies the entrance fee.
Beyond the castle, Warwick has a handsome town centre largely rebuilt in uniform Queen Anne style after a devastating fire in 1694. The Lord Leycester Hospital on the High Street survived the fire and remains one of the finest groups of medieval timber-framed buildings in England. The Collegiate Church of St Mary has a Norman crypt and the spectacular Beauchamp Chapel, one of the best examples of late medieval English architecture.
Warwick is often visited as a day trip from Stratford-upon-Avon, which is just eight miles south. The two towns complement each other well — Shakespeare and castles in a single day.